The Devil

The man and woman have arrived there
of thier own volition and are free to leave at any time (hence the open gated
exits with stairs leading up and out of this
dark place.

They are in no hurry however. The woman is entranced
, and enmeshed with the snake of desire The woman is
shamed by her association with this creature yet still reaches
for it.

The man is obsessed with pure materialism, signified by
the six gold and
green nuggets or jewels that he has discovered.

Each could
help the other but thier self-imposed isolation is total,
signified by the distance between them as well
as thier backs are turned from each
other. Thier interaction is with objects rather than each other, that,
at the end of
the day still leave them not quite satisfied.

In the middle of the scene
is a towering tree that is grey, gnarled and rotted at
its core. It's roots are exposed but deep and thick.
The branches
bear
not fruit or foilage but gold that rains down on the occupants randomly,
keeping
them entranced and seduced, waiting for the next current of wind
that will reward them for being there. On the left hand side
is a flash
from the
camera hitting
the gold (sequins) on the tree.

In the center of the tree branches
is the nucleus-a large red unblinking eye that sees all.
The iris is composed of spokes that radiate past
the cornea of
the eye.

Magazine letters and numbers comprise the title.

Symbolism

The snake symbolises wisdom-but of a carnal nature. The orange markings
on the snake signify sexuality,lust, and passion.

The six nuggets or jewels are gold and green for vitality, opulance,
growth, material value.

The open gated exits are symbolic of choice and the stairs for moving "up and out".

The tree itself is a symbol for a value system that is corrupted but still functioning (think of some large corporations that are rooted in the fabric of society but have a self-serving purpose.).

The gold sequins symbolize all that glitters but that may be of a random
and illusory nature.

The camera flash on the left side of the tree symbolizes what "blinds"us and distorts our perceptions. It can also leaves us bound to our obsessions, greed and desires. The gold is too high to obtain on its own-it's an object that can never be wholly claimed.

The eye signifies "Ayin" the quabbalistic correspondence for this card on the Tree of Life.
The pupil is a large red faux gem signifying passion. The iris of the eye is composed of red acrylic paint and cut up credit cards. They specifically signify both exceeding and being aware of our limits as human beings.

The question also begs to be asked "What can you take credit for? What
do you credit? What credits is your life composed of? What
do you owe-to others-and yourself?"

The magazine letters and numbers that comprise the title signify the
superficiality and underlying malevolence of what the Devil stands for.

They also reminded me of "hostage letters" popularised on crime-based tv shows. To me they are asking "What is holding you hostage?" The
blackness is the dullness of mind that doesn't reach for different answers or
is ignorant of it's choices.

Celeste Taylor is a 4th level tarot graduate of McClaren Tarot
Institute in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She has also taken classes
with Rachel Pollack and Teresa Michelson as well as being self-taught
at times and
extremely intuitive.

Prior to any professional certification,
tarot has always been a fascination, passion, and hobby since
the first time she
came across a tarot deck in her teens. Celeste has a flegling
tarot business that she hopes to expand upon retirement from
her "other "career.

Celeste is also intensely interested in Tarot Art, Kundalini Yoga, Reiki,
and
Intuitive Development-all of which she hopes to pursue sometime
in the future.

Celeste has also struggled at various times in her life with credit
card addiction-(as well as others!)but is currently debt-free. There
is still an
unactivated credit card in her possession (just in case)